Chapter 31: Ship Hunter: Doom Number
The sky was overcast, thick clouds gathering, making the entire sea appear blue tinged with black.
On the sea surface, scattered participants weren't rushing to seize the ship. The reason was simple: not only did Su Xiao exude bloodlust, clearly someone not to be trifled with, but the Amu and Baha on board also looked equally formidable.
None of the participants who had fought their way to the third round of the Strongest Warrior Battle were foolish. They all judged the situation was off and thus dove into the sea.
Looking around, not a single figure could be seen on the surrounding sea surface.
Splash～
Seawater washed over the bow of the Doom Number, soaking the white crystalline substance on the wooden planks, causing it to peel off and reveal the black hull beneath.
Su Xiao stood on the deck at the bow. Withered root-like tendrils coiled around his left arm, some as thick as fingers, others as fine as hair strands.
Waves crashed violently, and a slight swaying sensation came from beneath Su Xiao's feet.
This large ship, named the Doom Number, was now Su Xiao's property. It was somewhat similar to equipment but also had the nature of a summoned creature. If at sea, the Doom Number was a summon; if on land, its sealed form was equipment.
Currently, the Doom Number was not in its complete state. It was very weak. Although Su Xiao didn't know its story, he understood one thing: the Doom Number had just broken free from a seal.
As for why it was sealed, it was due to its countless atrocities at sea. If it were merely a ship, a lifeless object, that would be fine. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
The Doom Number was alive. After devouring powerful lifeforms, its size, speed, and hull strength would all change.
The Doom Number had four stages, and at each stage, it could recover one ability.
In its initial stage, the Doom Number was a two-masted ship with average sailing speed, and the main cannon hidden in the bow was unusable.
By devouring Transcendent Marine Lifeforms, the Doom Number could grow from a two-masted ship to a three-masted ship, its current state.
In its three-masted state, the Doom Number possessed extremely fast sea travel speed, and the bow cannon was usable, though only after devouring marine life to accumulate energy.
The three-masted ship was not the Doom Number's limit. Through continuous devouring of Transcendent Marine Lifeforms, it could grow to a four-masted ship, becoming larger and capable of submerging to travel at high speed underwater, though it couldn't stay submerged for long or go too deep, or the hull would suffer damage.
The four-masted ship was also not its limit. Its growth limit was a five-masted ship, a behemoth in scale.
Back in the Blood Harbor of the Wizard Continent, the "Bashalo" that Su Xiao had ridden was a five-masted sailing ship, a typical sea monster.
When the Doom Number grew to a five-masted ship, it wouldn't be as massive as the Bashalo, as their purposes differed.
The Bashalo was a transport and hunting ship, a lifeless object that relied on size to suppress sea beasts.
The Doom Number, however, was a raiding ship that required speed. Still, when it grew to a five-masted ship, its size wouldn't be much smaller than the Bashalo.
If the Doom Number could reach the five-masted stage, its strongest ability would reawaken: the cursed, despised sailors of the Doom Number's past would be summoned.
Cursed men feared no pain, no death. Their emotions, consciousness, and even memories were reduced to nothing by the Demon Sea's curse. Their remaining obsession was only to drag the living to the seabed, making enemies taste the agony of drowning.
Su Xiao wasn't sure how many cursed men the Doom Number could produce when it grew to a five-masted ship, but he knew one thing: this was the reason it had been sealed.
The black ship sailed through the wind and waves. Su Xiao raised his left arm, and a crackling sound rang out as the withered tendrils wrapped around his arm snapped.
The Doom Number was not a loyal summon. If its owner couldn't overpower it in presence, the ship would devour its master first. It was a death-dealing ship at sea; if one wasn't strong enough, gaining it wouldn't lead to glory.
Su Xiao looked at the sail on the mast, where a skull seemed to sneer at everyone.
Brown tendrils sprouted from the deck near Su Xiao's feet, clearly aiming to wrap around his legs.
With a crack, the withered tendrils burst. The ship's planks creaked, and ropes writhed like snakes.
"Behave. You're too noisy."
Su Xiao sat on the gunwale, lit a cigarette, and gazed at the endless sea.
The Doom Number calmed down. The benefit of a low charm attribute was evident here. The Doom Number sensed that this generation's owner was not to be trifled with, so it settled. That was the Doom Number's nature: if it felt its owner's heart wasn't strong enough, it would devour them and fall back into sealing. It wasn't driven by greed but by unwillingness to be a tool for the weak-willed.
If it encountered someone with a strong heart, the Doom Number would sink with its captain, fighting to the last moment.
Su Xiao checked the Reincarnation Paradise notifications. When he had fallen into the sea earlier, the surroundings were chaotic, so he had only skimmed these prompts.
[Prompt: Hunter has arrived at the Viking Sea.]
[Prompt: Hunter must reach the world's center, Losh Island (Horror Island), within 15 natural days.]
[Prompt: World Source cannot be obtained in this world.]
[Prompt: Treasure Chests can be obtained in this world.]
...
For now, the only goal was to reach Losh Island. As for where Losh Island was, Su Xiao didn't plan to use a Navigation Compass to find it. The Navigation Compass could be used in any world, so there was no need to use it now.
The Viking Sea was home to many pirates and numerous islands. Through these, Su Xiao had a good chance of finding Losh Island's location.
Moreover, now that he had the Doom Number, prioritizing its growth was a wise choice. With that thought, he checked the Doom Number's details.
[Doom Number]
Owner: Su Xiao
Specifications: Three-masted Sailing Ship
Activation Level: 0% (When reaching 100%, the Doom Number will grow to a four-masted sailing ship and recover corresponding abilities. Activation Level can only be gained by devouring Transcendent Marine Lifeforms.)
Ability 1: Raiding Ship (Passive) – The Doom Number's sailing speed is 6 to 8 times that of an ordinary three-masted sailing ship, and it is unaffected by sea winds and waves.
Ability 2: Annihilation Heavy Cannon (Active) – After successfully devouring a Transcendent Marine Lifeform, the Doom Number stores energy. The main cannon can bombard any target within a 75° forward arc, dealing 6000 base damage + 2700 dark attribute damage (if the target is a ship, damage is increased by 4.7 to 6.5 times).
Prompt: Annihilation Heavy Cannon (Active) requires special shells. Remaining shells: 23.
Prompt: These shells are made using unique Demon Sea craftsmanship and cannot be replenished in this world.
Current stored energy: 0%.
Ability 3: Underwater Navigation (Active) – This ability is sealed.
Ability 4: Awakening (Active/Passive) – This ability is sealed.
...